International Journal of Korean History (Vol.19 No.2, Aug. 2014)
137
Chinese Documentaries and the Korean War∗
Sun Kezhi**, Xu Dan***
∗
Introduction
“A faithful documentary is a living evidence of our lives and the portrait of our history. It influences, sometimes motivates, or enlightens the
public with persuasive truths and artistic charms particular to our lives.
Documentaries allow us to experience our lives, look back on the history,
and appreciate them as art—fulfilling all of their social functions.”1 Ever
since films became pervasive, people of every time period attempted to
* When the Korean War broke out in 1950, the Chinese government decided to enter
the war and called it the “War to Resist US Aggression and Aid Korea.” The Chinese government and people used this name for the war until after the Chinese
economic reform. After the reform period, which began in 1978, Chinese people in
various sectors began to reflect on historical incidents that occurred since the establishment of the People’s Republic of China, and the name of the “War to Resist US
Aggression and Aid Korea” was also changed. Although government documents
still use the term “War to Resist US Aggression and Aid Korea,” academic circles
and civilian society uses the term “Korean War” more widely. In this paper, “War
to Resist US Aggression and Aid Korea” will be used when discussing documentaries filmed in China during the Korean War, and “Korean War” will be used
when analyzing the contents of documentaries produced after the Chinese economic reform period.
** Professor, Department of History, Fudan University
***Ph. D candidate, Department of History, Fudan University
138
Chinese Documentaries and the Korean War
define documentary films, “yet no definition that the majority can accept
has surfaced.”2 People agree on the characteristics of documentary films,
such as the fact that they use real events as motifs and that they are based
on real events, real people, and facts. However, at certain times in the past,
the production of documentaries was limited, and it was inevitable that
subjective elements filtered in later due to environmental limitations and
other impacts. Consequently, a certain degree of critical thinking is necessary in analyzing video documents such as documentaries. Despite such
pitfalls, video resources (mainly documentaries) are a new kind of document that make up for many of the shortcomings of existing written documents and depict the original aspects of historical scenes, taking full
advantage of its intuitive and emotional features. As a result, these video
resources hold significant research value, just like existing historical resources.
Cultural exchanges between the Korean Peninsula and mainland China
have continued to thrive over the years; and North Korea, which was
called “Little China” among East Asian countries under the Sinosphere,
has received a lot of attention from the Chinese people. Visual records
about the Korean Peninsula in Chinese historical studies have become
important historical materials in understanding the circumstances surrounding the Korean Peninsula in ancient times. With the development of
science and technology in modern times, new types of historical sources,
such as photographs and video images, began to proliferate. Among such
records are documentary films, a type of nonfiction film that directly presents the reality—not fabricated stories—about real events or people; and
documentaries about the Korean Peninsula filmed by the Chinese are
gaining more and more importance as historical documents. Therefore,
organizing and analyzing documentaries on Korea have significant value.
1
1
Dictionary of modern Chinese literature and arts, Zhongzhou (中州) Ancient
Books Publishing: 375.
2 Dan Wanli, History of Chinese documentary films, Beijing: China Film Publishing,
2005: 2.
Sun Kezhi, Xu Dan
139
These Chinese documentaries about Korea not only reconstruct true historical images of the Korean Peninsula, but also allow the viewers to understand the intentions and the ideas of the producers. Furthermore, they
provide an opportunity to explore the Chinese perspective on the Korean
Peninsula.
History of Chinese Documentaries
The very first moving picture was released in 1895,3 and it spread to
China from the West at the end of the nineteenth century. In August 1896,
the first “Western film” was screened at You Yi Cun (又一村) in Shanghai,
China. Afterward, the number of Chinese films grew gradually.4 As film
screenings became widespread in a few major cities, film productions
began in China. However, they were all produced by foreigners, and the
subjects these films explored were mainly significant historical events,
such as the Boxer Rebellion, or landscapes and sceneries of various places in China.
Films produced by foreigners in China did focus on Chinese society,
but most only captured negative images of China from absurd perspectives. Some even went as far as to disparage or oppose China,5 clearly
devoid of the objectivity and truthfulness that early films had.
Only after the 20th century, the Chinese began to produce their own
films. In 1905, Feng Tai (丰泰) photo studio in Beijing filmed and produced a documentary of a few scenes from The Battle of Dingjunshan (定
軍山), a Beijing opera, and the film was also titled The Battle of Dingjunshan (定軍山). This was the very first film directed and produced by the
3 The Lumiere Brothers used Edison’s “kinetoscope” to invent the “cinematograph.”
They produced the first film in human history and screened it successfully. Gao
Weijin, A history of Chinese news and documentary films, Beijing: Central Historical Documents Publishing, 2003: 1
4 Gao Weijin, A history of Chinese news and documentary films: 3.
5 Gao Weijin, Ibid: 8.
140
Chinese Documentaries and the Korean War
Chinese, 6 and since then Chinese filmmakers began to produce films
more actively.
Early Chinese films mainly recorded actual events, and common subjects were Beijing operas and street performances. Therefore almost all of
the early films produced in China can be classified as documentaries, and
these maintain a relatively objective perspective since they did not undergo a lot in the editing process.
As film technologies began to develop, film subjects and genres began
to diversify, and at the same time commercial films became mainstream.
Such a transformation pushed forward the development of the Chinese
film industry, and film production companies were founded by Chinese
people in various parts of China, including Shanghai.
Modern news documentaries filmed by Chinese filmmakers were produced in 1911, when the Xinhai Revolution that overthrew the Qing Dynasty began. When the Wuchang Uprising erupted, Zhu Liankui, a prominent Chinese artist at the time, collaborated with foreign merchants at
Meili (美利) Company and filmed many important battles waged by the
New Army (新軍), which culminated in the film War of Wuhan (武汉战
争). Later in the second phase of the uprising, when Hwang Xing and the
revolutionary army fought to subjugate Yuan Shikai, a Chinese director
and cameraman from the Asia Film Company in Shanghai filmed War of
Shanghai (上海战争).7 Although we no longer have access to these films,
they are important as the first Chinese news documentaries in film history.
The Chinese film industry grew rapidly in the 1920s. About 200 film
companies were established all across China, and many of these companies produced feature films. Sometimes they produced newsreels and scenic films, and some companies produced films that introduced the private
lives and biographies of important figures in the military government in
each region.
6
Fang Fang, A history of the development of the Chinese documentary, China Drama Press, 2003: 7.
7 Dan Wanli, Ibid: 10.
Sun Kezhi, Xu Dan
141
During this time, about 20 companies produced around 100 news documentaries,8 including the Completion of the Northern Expedition (北伐完
成记) (Great China-Lily Film Company, 大中華百合影片公司) which captured the revolutionary movement in China, History of the Great War of
the Northern Expedition (北伐大战史) (Minsheng Motion Picture Company), Northern Expedition of the Revolutionary Army (革命军北伐记)
(Novelty Company), Shanghai Wusa Citizen’s Rally (上海五卅市民大会)
(Great Wall Film Company), and Wusa Wave (五卅沪潮) (Youlian Film
Corporation).9 There were also films about the lives and activities of contemporary personalities, such as Presidential Inauguration of Sun Wen
(孙中山就任大总统) and Sun Wen Heads to the North (孙中山先生北上),10
as well as films that recorded social activities of ordinary people including Patriotism, a Sports Day for Two Schools in East Asia (爱国、东亚两
11
学校运动会) and National Diplomatic Parade (国民外交游行大会).
In the 1930s, Imperialist Japan sped up their plan to invade China and
staged the Manchurian Incident and the January 28 Incident. After the
two incidents, eminent personalities from various circles requested that
Chinese film companies produce more anti-Japanese films that reflect
anti-Japanese sentiment to encourage the Chinese people to protest
against Japan. Faced with a national challenge, Chinese filmmakers and
workers in the film industry answered the demands of the times and captured the Chinese people’s struggle against Japan on camera. Film producers filmed newsreels, such as the 19th Route Army’s Bloody Struggle
against Japan, Battle of Shanghai Part 1 (十九路军血战抗日-上海战地写
真第一集) (Star Motion Picture Co. Ltd.), Disaster from Japanese Violence in Shanghai (暴日祸沪记) and the 19th Route Army’s Glorious Battle
against the Japanese Enemy (十九路军抗日战史) (Lianhua Film Company), Shanghai Holocaust (上海浩劫记) (Tianyi Film Company), Glorious
8
9
10
11
Dan Wanli, Ibid: 16.
Gao Weijin, Ibid: 16-17.
Dan Wanli, Ibid: 17-18.
Gao Weijin, Ibid: 12.
142
Chinese Documentaries and the Korean War
History of the 19th Route Army (十九路军光荣史) (Huimin Corporation),
History of Bloody Struggle Against Japan in Shanghai (上海抗日血战史)
(Huichong Company), and History of War in China (中国铁血军战史)
(Xifan Company). 12 These films heightened the Chinese people’s antiJapanese sentiment.
Some film companies sent camera crews to the northeastern regions to
capture the anti-Japanese struggle of the people there and produced documentaries including the History of the Northeast Army of Volunteers’
Struggle Against Japan (东北义勇军抗日战史) (Nine Stars Motion Picture
Company), History of the Northeast Army of Volunteers’ Bloody Struggle
Against Japan (东北义勇军抗日血战史) (Jinan Film Company), and
Struggle of the Northeast Army of Volunteers (东北义勇军抗日记) (Supporters’ Association of Liaoning, Jilin, and Heilongjiang).13
A large number of Korean patriots fighting against Japan fought in the
Northeast Army of Volunteers, and Korean independence fighters in the
northeast fought against Japan in cooperation with Chinese anti-Japanese
organizations. Therefore it is possible for these documentaries on the
Northeast Army of Volunteers to contain information about Korean antiJapanese fighters.
Because films are quite influential, the Kuomintang Central Propaganda Commission reorganized the Entertainment Unit into the Film Unit in
1932, and established the Central Film Studio near Lake Xuanwu in Nanjing in 1934. The studio was called “Zhongtien (中电)” for short.
Zhongtien mainly produced China News (中国新闻) and introduced activities of important figures in the KMT as well as the KMT army. 14 After a full-scale war against Japan began, Zhongtien recorded the antiJapanese struggles of the Chinese army and people and produced documentaries such as War in the East (东战场), Nine Months of Anti-
12 Gao Weijin, Ibid: 23.
13 Gao Weijin, Ibid: 24.
14 Gao Weijin, Ibid: 40.
Sun Kezhi, Xu Dan
143
Japanese War (抗战第九月), and Overcome Tai’erzhuang15 (克服台儿庄),
Vibrant Western Front (活跃的西线), and Prelude to Victory (胜利的前奏).
When the anti-Japanese War escalted into confrontation, Zhongtien produced documentaries, including Ten Thousand Li of a New Road (新路一
万里), The Second Generation (第二代), A Pilgrimage to Tibet (西藏巡礼),
Scenery of Zhongyuan (中原风光), Scenery and Customs in the Northwest
(西北风物志), and The Korean Volunteers Army (朝鲜义勇队).16 The Political Training Camp (政训处) at Nanchang Headquarters (南昌行营) also
created a film production team in 1935 which was changed to China
Movie Studio (中国电影制片厂), or “Zhongzhi (中制).”17 Films produced
by Zhongzhi during the anti-Japanese War include Film News (电影新闻)
and A Special Report on the Anti-Japanese War (抗战特辑) parts 1
through 6. These documentaries were screened not only in China but also
in Singapore, Myanmar, Vietnam, the Philippines, USSR, UK, and the
US.18 At first, a number of foreigners intruded upon the bases of the antiJapanese struggles led by the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) without
permission and filmed documentaries which show the anti-Japanese fight
of the Chinese people at those bases. China Fights On (中国在战斗) and
In China (在中国) filmed by an American cameraman, Harry Dunham, are
such films.19 In April 1938, “Shanxi-Gansu-Ningxia Anti-Japanese Film
Studio” was established in the region near Shanxi (陕西), Gansu (甘肃),
and Ningxia (宁夏), yet this company virtually did not produce any films.
In August 1938, Yuan Mu-zhi, a famous actor and a playwright, established the Film Group in the General Political Department of the Eight
Route Army, which later began to be called the Yanan (延安) Film Group.
The Yanan Film Group produced documentaries, titled Yanan and the
Eighth Route Army (延安与八路军), Integrate Production and War (生产
15 Tai’erzhuang is a district under the administration of the prefecture-level city of
Zaozhuang. It is located in the south of Shandong Province.
16 Gao Weijin, Ibid: 41.
17 Fang Fang, Ibid: 86.
18 Dan Wanli, Ibid: 55-56.
19 Gao Weijin, Ibid: 56-57.
144
Chinese Documentaries and the Korean War
与战斗结合起来), etc.20
Among the documentaries filmed in China during the anti-Japanese
War, only The Korean Volunteers Army (朝鲜义勇队) contains information about the activities of Korean independence fighters in China.
However, considering the situation at the time, it seems possible that other anti-Japanese war documentaries filmed during this period included the
struggle of Korean independence fighters against Japan to gain control of
Korea since Korean independence fighters of the time believed that China’s victory against Japan would mean Korean independence21 and actively took part in China’s anti-Japanese War. Most of the soldiers in the
Anti-Japanese Allied Forces who continued their fight against Japan in
the northeastern region of China were Koreans, and their traces can be
found in the History of the Northeast Army of Volunteers’ Struggle
Against Japan (东北义勇军抗日战史), History of the Northeast Army of
Volunteers’ Bloody Struggle Against Japan (东北义勇军抗日血战史), and
Struggle of the Northeast Army of Volunteers (东北义勇军抗日记).
Whether it was a full-scale war waged by the KMT or an anti-Japanese
struggle led by the CCP, the Korean Liberation Army, Korean Volunteers
Army, soldiers of the Korean Volunteer Army and Chinese military
fought together against Japan. Therefore in anti-Japanese war documentaries filmed by the Zhongtien, Zhongzhi, and Yanan Film Group all include activities of Korean independence fighters in China.
After China’s victory in the anti-Japanese war, the Chinese film industry finally entered the golden age of film production. Although it only
lasted for about four years, the development of commercial films around
this time marked a new chapter in Chinese film history. Documentaries
also were able to enjoy a certain level of development, yet in terms of
speed, it fell behind the development of commercial films.
20 Dan Wanli, Ibid: 81-82.
21 Wen Zhi, Joy and hope, Korean Volunteers Army correspondence week 3, Feb 5,
1939.
Sun Kezhi, Xu Dan
145
Korean War Documentaries in the New China
On October 1, 1949, the People’s Republic of China was established.
However, within a year of the birth of new China, the Korean War began.
In accordance with their national security strategy, the Chinese government decided to dispatch troops of the Chinese People’s Volunteer Army
and enter the Korean War. On October 19, the Chinese People’s Volunteer Army marched into North Korea. The Beijing Film Studio “War to
Resist US Aggression and Aid Korea” Film Team followed the Chinese
People’s Volunteer Army into North Korea as well. The Korean War was
the first war that was directly linked to the issue of life or death for the
country since the establishment of the new China, and consequently, the
whole country showed an enormous interest in the war. For a swift and
comprehensive understanding of the Korean War for the Chinese people,
the Beijing Film Studio’s camera crew produced short documentaries
such as Intelligence from the Korean Western Frontier (朝鲜西线捷报)
(Dec 1951) and Over the 38th Parallel, Seoul was Freed (突破三八线解放
汉城) (1951) based on the progress of the war to notify the people of China. In November 1951, Xu Xiaobing, who led the camera crew, reedited
these short documentaries to create the first feature-length documentary
about the War to Resist US Aggression and Aid Korea, titled War to Resist US Aggression and Aid Korea, Part 1 (抗美援朝 (第一部)) (Nov 1951,
Filmed by: Yang Xuzhong, Liu Deyuan, Mou Lin, Shi Yimin, Liu Yunbo,
Wang Yongzhen, Chen Yifan, Han Bingxin, Su Zhongyi, Liu Hua, Zhao
Hua, Jin Wei etc., Editors: Xu Xiaobing and Wang Shen). From then, a
number of documentaries were produced reflecting the changing state of
affairs in the war. In 1952, when the war went through many phases of
truce and hostility, a series of documentaries were produced and screened
in China: War to Resist US Aggression and Aid Korea, Part 2 (抗美援朝
(第二部)), We Oppose Germ Warfare (反对细菌战) (1952, Producers: Ji
Chusheng, Shi Dongshan, Editor: Wang Yonghong), Chinese People Dispatch a Delegation to Comfort North Korea (中国人民赴朝慰问团) (1952,
Filmed by: Li Hua, etc., Editor: Jiang yuchuan), and Exchange of Injured
146
Chinese Documentaries and the Korean War
Prisoners of War (交换病伤战俘) (1953, Filmed by: Li Hua, Li Wenhua,
Li Zhenyu, Editor: Lei Zhenlin). After the end of the Korean War, many
series of documentaries about the War to Resist US Aggression and Aid
Korea were made in China. Most of them were produced by Bayi Film
Studio, including Comforting the Cutest Person (慰问最可爱的人) (1953),
An Unbreakable Transportation Line (钢铁运输线) (1954, Adapted and
directed by: Peng Yifu, Hua Chun, Shi Wenzhi, Edited by: Li Erkang,
Xue Boqinqing, etc.), Leniency to the Prisoners of War (宽待俘虏)
(1954), Hurrah for the Friendship (友谊万岁) (1954), and At the Datong
River (大同江上) (1954). The Beijing Film Studio also produced documentaries on the Korean War, such as the Song of the Hero (英雄赞)
(1958) and Welcome Home, Our Troops (欢迎志愿军回国) (1958).
The outbreak of the Korean War in 1950 further solidified the Cold
War. In the sharp conflict of the two ideological camps, a “hot war” like
the Korean War did not break out again. However, China and Korea,
which belonged to different camps, lost the opportunity to improve their
relations and practically broke off all exchanges as well. In such circumstances, it was impossible for China to produce documentaries on Korea
or screen Korean documentaries. Even the news recordings on Korea
were mostly short footages from North Korea. During this ideological
conflict, the films that were “selected” were unable to depict the actual
condition of Korea to the Chinese people.
After the end of the War to Resist US Aggression and Aid Korea, Chinese documentaries on Korea were mostly about North Korea or North
Korea-China relations. Documentaries filmed during this time can be
found below:
No.
Title of Documentary
Chinese Government Delegation
1. Visits North Korea
(中国政府代表团访问朝鲜)
2.
Production Company
Year
中央新闻纪录电影制片厂 Central
Newsreel and Documentary Film 1958
Studio
Eternal Friendship Between China 中央新闻纪录电影制片厂 Central
Newsreel and Documentary Film 1958
and North Korea(中朝友谊万古青)
Studio
Sun Kezhi, Xu Dan
3.
147
Welcome to the Distinguished Guests 中央新闻纪录电影制片厂 Central
Newsreel and Documentary Film 1958
from North Korea (欢迎朝鲜贵宾)
Studio
A Delegation from the North Korean
中央新闻纪录电影制片厂 Central
Supreme People’s Assembly Visits
4.
Newsreel and Documentary Film 1962
China
Studio
(朝鲜最高人民议会代表团访问中国)
5.
Chairman Liu Shaoqi Visits North
Korea (刘少奇主席访问朝鲜)
6.
Premier Zhou Enlai Visits North
Korea (周总理访朝鲜)
中央新闻纪录电影制片厂 Central
Newsreel and Documentary Film 1963
Studio
中央新闻纪录电影制片厂 Central
Newsreel and Documentary Film 1970
Studio
Deep Affections Between the People 中央新闻纪录电影制片厂 Central
7. of China and North Korea
Newsreel and Documentary Film 1971
(中朝人民情谊深)
Studio
Blossoming Friendship Through
Battle Songs—North Korean
Pyongyang Opera Troupe Visits
8. China and Performs
(战斗歌声传友情—欢迎朝
平壤民族歌剧团访华, 演出)
Foreign Minister Ji Pengfei Visits
9. North Korea
(姬鹏飞外长访问朝鲜)
中央新闻电影纪录制片厂 Central
Newsreel and Documentary Film 1972
Studio
中央新闻纪录电影制片厂 Central
Newsreel and Documentary Film 1972
Studio
Forever Will Bloom the Flower of
Friendship—Heartfelt Welcome to
中央新闻纪录电影制片厂 Central
the North Korean Pyongyang
10. Mansudae Art Troupe
Newsreel and Documentary Film 1973
Studio
(友谊花开万年长—热烈欢迎朝鲜、
壤万寿台艺术团)
Friendship Through Circus Art—
North Korean Pyongyang Circus
中央新闻纪录电影制片厂 Central
11. Troupe Performs in Beijing
Newsreel and Documentary Film 1975
(杂技艺术传友情—朝鲜平壤杂技团 Studio
北京演出)
Chinese Communist Party
12. Delegation Visits North Korea
(中国共产党代表团访问朝鲜)
中央新闻纪录电影制片厂 Central
Performing Art Troupe of China
13. Visits North Korea
(中国艺术团访问朝鲜)
中央新闻纪录电影制片厂 Central
Newsreel and Documentary Film 1976
Studio
Newsreel and Documentary Film 1976
Studio
148
14.
Chinese Documentaries and the Korean War
Premier Hua Guofeng Visits North
Korea (华国锋主席访问朝鲜)
Vice Chairman Deng Yingchao
15. Visits North Korea
(邓颖超副委员长访问朝)
中央新闻纪录电影制片厂 Central
Newsreel and Documentary Film 1978
Studio
中央新闻纪录电影制片厂 Central
Newsreel and Documentary Film 1979
Studio
Documentaries of this time mainly celebrated and praised the deep
friendship between the people of China and North Korea, and recorded
visits of art troupes or government officials from the Chinese government
and the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea to their respective
countries.
From 1966, China entered a special phase in its history called the
Cultural Revolution. During this time, most sectors in China suffered
heavily, with academia possibly suffering the most. Certain scholarship
was considered taboo, and a number of prominent scholars were
dismissed as “reactionary intellectuals,” and the all scholastic research in
the humanities and social sciences was brought to a standstill. Research
on Korea and the Korean Peninsula was not an exception. Considering
these circumstances, the fact that very few video images and records of
Korea or the Korean Peninsula can be found during this time period is not
surprising.
After the Chinese economic reform, most sectors returned to normal, and
China began to reflect back on historical issues since the establishment of
the country. Accordingly, Chinese people from all levels and classes of
society began to look back on the War to Resist US Aggression and Aid
Korea. The most noteworthy achievements in research began to appear in
the 1990s after documents and materials on the Korean War were
declassified. With the emergence of numerous studies related to the Korean
War, the academic name for the war was changed, and more and more
scholars began to call the war that began a little after the establishment of
new China as the “Korean War.” Moreover, documentaries on the Korean
War began to be produced once again, based on new research results and
other documents and materials. A list of new documentaries on the Korean
149
Sun Kezhi, Xu Dan
War that have been produced since the 1990s can be found below:
No.
Title of Documentary
1
Korean War
(Original Title: 朝鲜战争)
2
Korean War
(Original Title: 朝鲜战争)
3
War to Resist US Aggression and
Aid Korea (Oct 25, 1950-July 27,
1953)
(Original Title: 抗美援朝战争)
4
5
Publisher/
Year
Shenzhen,
War, battles
Unknown
1990
China
National
Theater for
Military, North
Children
Unknown
Korea
Music
Technique
Publishing,
1997
Bai Tian E
Zhujiang (珠影白天鹅)
Korean War
(珠江) Film Media
Studio Ltd. Publishing,
1997
Main topics
The Annals of the War to Resist US
Aggression and Aid Korea—
Special report on the Bainian
Korean War
zhongda incident and massacres
(Original Title: 抗美援朝战争-百年
重大事件与事变特辑)
War to Resist US Aggression and
Aid Korea, Part 1 and 2
Korean War
(Original Title: 抗美援朝战争 1-2 集)
6
War to Resist US Aggression and
Aid Korea
(Original Title: 抗美援朝战争)
7
Korean War
(Original Title: 朝鲜战争)
8
Records of the War to Resist US
Aggression and Aid Korea
(Original Title: 抗美援朝纪实)
Production
Company
Bai Tian E
Zhujiang (珠影白天鹅)
(珠江) Film Media
Studio Ltd. Publishing,
1997
Contec
Contec Sound
Sound
Media Ltd.,
Media Ltd. 1997
Bai Tian E
Zhujiang (珠影白天鹅)
Korean War
(珠江) Film Media
Studio Ltd. Publishing,
1997
Shanghai
War to Resist Shanghai
Film
US Aggression Film
Company,
and Aid Korea Company
1998
Bayi (八一)
Film
Studio,
China
Documentary, Beijing
Sanhuan
War to Resist Academy
Media
US Aggression of Military
Publishing,
and Aid Korea Science,
1998
Department
of Military
Research
150
9
Chinese Documentaries and the Korean War
The Annals of the War to Resist US
Aggression and Aid Korea
Korean War
(Original Title: 抗美援朝实录)
War to Resist US Aggression and
10 Aid Korea
(Original Title: 抗美援朝战争)
Korean War
People’s
Liberation
Army TV
Propaganda
Center
Changzheng
(长征) Media
Publishing,
1998
People’s
Liberation
Army TV
Propaganda
Center
People’s
Liberation
Army Media
Publishing,
1998
Records of the War to Resist US
11 Aggression and Aid Korea
Korean War
(Original Title: 抗美援朝战争纪实)
Bayi (八一)
Film Studio,
China
Academy of
Bayi (八一) Military
Science,
Film
China
Studio
Sanhuan
Media
Publishing,
1999
Confrontation: the Annals of the
War to Resist US Aggression and
12 Aid Korea
(Original Title: 较量:
抗美援朝战争实录)
Korean War
China
Sanhuan
Media
Publishing,
Bayi (八一) 1999
(Bayi (八一)
Film
Film Studio,
Studio
China
Academy of
Military
Science)
Echoes of Half a Century (Part 5)
13 (Original Title: 半个世纪的回响
(五集))
The Audio &
Video
Publishing
Reinforcements, China
House of
War to Resist Central
the Central
US Aggression Television Newsreel &
and Aid Korea (CCTV)
Documentary
Film Studio,
2000
Records of the War 1 (Vol 2)
14 (Original Title: Original Title:
战争纪实 1 (下))
Regional war—
Unknown
North Korea
Daheng
(大恒)
Digital
Publishing,
2000
151
Sun Kezhi, Xu Dan
New Chinese Diplomacy (Part 3):
Conflict on the Peninsula—Battle
15 in Korea
(Original Title: 新中国外交
(第三集)-半岛较量—朝鲜战役)
Korean War
Phoenix
Television
(Hong
Kong)
Xinghui
(星辉) Music
International
Ltd., 2001
China
National
Once Again at Home—a Journey of Documentary,
Nuclear
Phoenix
an Old Chinese Soldier to North
Film recording
Television Corporation
Korea
16
actual event,
(Hong
(核工业)
(Original Title:重踏热土—
North Korea,
Kong)
Media
reinforcements
志愿军老战 士朝鲜纪行)
Publishing,
2001
POW Camps without Barbed Wire
Korean War,
17 (Original Title:
POW issues
没有铁丝网的战俘营)
A Gun Salute at the Tiananmen
Gate—Here the Chinese People
18 Rose
(Original Title: 天安门的礼炮—
中国 人民从此站起来了)
19
The 38th Parallel of History
(Original Title: 历史上的三八线)
China
China
International
Central
Television
Television
Corporation,
(CCTV)
2004
Mao Anying,
who was killed
Unknown
in the Korean
War
Jiangxi (江西)
Cultural
Media
Publishing,
2004
History of the
international
relations,
Korean War,
China, US,
USSR,
Document ary
3
Commissions
of the
Chinese
People’s
Liberation
Army, 2005
Unknown
A Journey for Reconciliation within
the New China—The Realities of
Military history,
the Chinese Military Expedition to
20
Korean War,
the Korean War
China, footage
(Original Title: 新中国破冰之旅—
中国出兵朝鲜真相)
Beijing China
Phoenix
Sports
Television
Audiovisual
(Hong
Publishing
Kong)
Center, 2005
Relevant to the
Records of New China’s Ambitions
War to Resist
21 in War
US Aggression
(Original Title:新中国战争风云录)
and Aid Korea
Film rights
provided
by Beijing
Wuyue
Cultural
Consulting
Company
Guizhou
(贵州)
Culture
Audio Video
Publishing
House, 2005
152
Chinese Documentaries and the Korean War
Guizhou
(贵州)
Culture
Audio
Video
Publishing
House
Guizhou
(贵州)
Culture
Audio Video
Publishing
House, 2005
New China’s Ambitious Years
(1950 War to Resist US Aggression
23 and Aid Korea)
Korean War
(Original Title:新中国风云岁月
(1950 抗美援朝))
People’s
Liberation
Army TV
Propaganda
Center
People’s
Liberation
Army Media
Publishing,
2005
Great Ambitions of the Korean
24 Peninsula
(Original Title: 朝鲜半岛风云)
North Korea,
Documentary,
source film
Jiuzhou
Phoenix
(九洲)
Television
Media
(Hong
Publishing,
Kong)
2009
Korean War
Jiuzhou
Phoenix
(九洲)
Television
Media
(Hong
Publishing,
Kong)
2010
22
War of the Republic
(Original Title: 共和国战争)
Passionate Warriors, Conflicts in
the Sky in the Korean War
25
(Original Title: 欲火雄鹰—
朝鲜战争 空中对决)
Somewhat
related to the
Korean War
A delegation of
20 elderly
volunteer
soldiers, their
Spring in a Foreign Land: 60th
families, and
Anniversary of the War to Resist
descendants of
26 US Aggression and Aid Korea
patriotic
(Original Title: 异国青春: 抗美援朝 martyrs visits
60 年祭)
North Korea to
offer
condolences to
heroic patriots
Jiuzhou
Phoenix
(九洲)
Television
Media
(Hong
Publishing,
Kong)
2010
Spirits in the Mountains and Rivers
of Three Thousand Li
Korean War,
27
(Original Title:
heroic figures
融进三千里江山的英魂)
China
Central
Television
(CCTV)
Huayi (华艺)
Brothers
Media
Corporation,
2010
Broken Sword—Great Reversal in
the Korean Battlefront
28
(Original Title: 断刀朝鲜战场大逆转)
China
Central
Television
(CCTV)
China Central
Television
(CCTV)
Documentary,
aired in 2010
Korean War
153
Sun Kezhi, Xu Dan
First-hand Experience of the
Korean War: Heroic Sons and
29 Daughters
(Original Title: 亲历朝鲜战争:
英雄儿女)
30
The Battle of Chosin Reservoir
(Original Title: 长津湖战役)
Conflict on the Frozen Lake—
Complete Records of the Battle of
31 Chosin Reservoir
(Original Title:冰湖雪战——
长津湖战 役全纪录)
Beyond the Yalu River—Peng
Dehuai
32
(Original Title: 跨过鸭绿江—
彭德怀)
33
Shangganling
(Original Title: 上甘岭)
5 part series.
Participants in
the Korean
War—Chai
Yunzhen, Wang
Qingzhen, Sun
Mingzhi, Jiang
Qingquan, etc.
Jiuzhou
Phoenix
(九洲)
Television
Media
(Hong
Publishing,
Kong)
2011
A battle in the
Korean War
Jiuzhou
Phoenix
(九洲)
Television
Media
(Hong
Publishing,
Kong)
2011
A battle in the
Korean War
Jiuzhou
Phoenix
(九洲)
Television
Media
(Hong
Publishing,
Kong)
2011
Korean War,
heroic figures
Korean War
China Central
China
Television
Central
(CCTV)
Television
Documentary,
(CCTV)
aired in 2011
China Central
China
Television
Central
(CCTV)
Television Documentary,
(CCTV)
aired in 2012
Phoenix
Phoenix
Broad Vision
Television
Television
(Hong
Documentary,
Kong)
aired in 2013
Bloody Sunset—Memories of the
Korean War
34
(Original Title:残阳如血—
朝鲜战争的 记忆)
Korean War
War to Resist US Aggression and
35 Aid Korea
(Original Title: 抗美援朝)
Korean War
Unknown
Records of the War to Resist US
36 Aggression and Aid Korea
(Original Title: 抗美援朝纪实)
Korean War
Unknown
As we can see from the chart above, only in 1990, ten years after the
start of Chinese economic reform, the first documentary on the Korean
154
Chinese Documentaries and the Korean War
War was able to be screened in the new China. Also, it was first produced
in Shenzhen, the forefront of economic reform. Documentaries on the
Korean War were intensively produced between 1997 and 2013, resulting
in a total of 35 documentaries related to the Korean War. In terms of the
regions where these documentaries were produced or screened, it
encompassed major Chinese cities, including Beijing, Shanghai,
Guangzhou, and Hong Kong. The contents of the documentaries varied,
from those focusing on the progress of the war to specific battle scenes,
groups of war heroes or a hero, general introduction to the Korean War to
reflections on the war. In addition, the format of the documentaries also
varied from interviews of those who had first-hand experience in the war
to analyses and interpretations explained by researchers regarding certain
issues based on historical documents and video images.
Regarding the production methods, many of the films were based on
related television programs that had been aired by some television
stations, and they were edited and published as documentary films. Most
of these films were produced by China Central Television (CCTV) and
Phoenix Television in Hong Kong. Bayi (八一) Film Studio of the
Chinese People’s Army, the Department of Military Research at the
Academy of Military Science, and the People’s Liberation Army TV
Propaganda Center also released documentaries that have been produced
from the military’s perspective.
Although numerous documentaries on the Korean War were produced
at this time, basic video resources on the Korean War are documentaries
produced during the Korean War. However, unlike the documentaries that
were produced during or immediately after the Korean War, new
documentaries combined newly declassified information with existing
information, allowing for detailed analysis and explanation of issues
related to the war.
Certain documentaries reinterpreted issues related to the war based on
existing video images by adding the analysis of a researcher on the topic,
and others included reenactments and reproductions of the war based on
the memories of survivors. Likewise, documentaries on the Korean War
Sun Kezhi, Xu Dan
155
that have been produced after the war are results of reflections on or reinreinterpretations of the Korean War. These documentaries reveal that
Chinese perspectives on certain issues of the Korean War have changed.
The Changing Chinese Perspective of the Korean War
through Documentaries
The Cause of the Korean War
The first Chinese documentary about the Korean War, titled War to
Resist US Aggression and Aid Korea (抗美援朝), Part 1, shows that the
US started the Korean War. It further informs the audience that after the
Second World War:
“Southern Chosôn (South Korea) had just broken off the yoke of
Japanese imperialism but was immediately bound by American
imperialism. The people are still living like prisoners in dark prison
cells. The war criminals of the US want to set an enormous fire of war
in Asia by lighting the fuse in South Korea. The American imperialists
are armed and ready for combat every day. On June 25, 1950, the
notorious schemer Dulles arrived in Southern Chosôn, made an
inspection of the 38th Parallel, and planned to attack the Democratic
People’s Republic of Korea. The US’ plan to attack North Korea was
closely related to their plan to attack the People’s Republic of China.”
The documentary also explains that the reason behind China’s belief
that the US provoked the Korean War was “on June 25, 1950, three days
after the notorious schemer Dulles left the Southern Chosôn, Syngman
Rhee and his group of thieving South Koreans declared an all-out-war
against the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea and launched a
sudden attack on Pyôngyang like a lightening to topple the Democratic
People’s Republic of Korea.” The cause of the Korean War as asserted in
156
Chinese Documentaries and the Korean War
the War to Resist US Aggression and Aid Korea (抗美援朝) Part 1 reremained the dominant explanation from the Chinese perspective on the
Korean War for a long time. The documentaries produced in the 1960s
and 1970s reflect the same perspective and only add an explanation
regarding the background of the Korean War from the two opposing
camps.
On October 28, 1960, an article written by a person with the alias Gao
Han was published in the People’s Daily, introducing a new documentary
The Witness of History, which was playing in the theaters. Part of the
article reads: “While some of the new socialist nations were busy with
economic growth of their own, the US imperialists were busy producing
tanks and cannons. And the two wings of socialist nations were
supporting the two militarist nations, West Germany and Japan, who
indulge in starting wars.”22 The documentary avoided mentioning that the
conflict between the two ideological camps directly caused the Korean
War, but continued to explore the cause of the Korean War from the
opposing two camps.
Documentaries related to the Korean War that were produced after the
end of the Cold War concluded that the cause of the Korean War was the
Cold War. For instance, A Journey for Reconciliation within the New
China—The Realities of Chinese Military Expedition to the Korean War
(新中国破冰之旅—出兵朝鲜真相) pointed out that “at this point in time,
the Korean War, which began in 1950, seems like a direct conflict of two
major ideologies after the end of the Second World War—a performance
on the international political stage.” Bloody Sunset (残阳如血) also
asserted that “after the establishment of the new China, China was allied
with the USSR, and Kim Il-sung believed that it was time to unify Korea
with military force. Therefore the Korean People’s Army started the fight,
and the US refused to immediately come to South Korea’s aid under the
UN, considering it a civil war.” The film explained that the outbreak of
the Korean War resulted from the conflict of the two ideologically
22 Gao Han 高汉, “The witness of history” People’s Daily, 28th Oct. 1960.
Sun Kezhi, Xu Dan
157
opposing camps in the Cold War. The War of the Republic (共和国的战争)
likewise found the cause of the Korean War in the Cold War. This
documentary explained that in the early 1950s, the US found signs of
unusual activities north of the 38th Parallel and declared to remove
Chosôn (North Korea), China, and Taiwan from the US defensive line in
the Pacific. Through this action, the US attempted to relieve its pressure
in Asia and focus on Europe instead. At the same time, Stalin also had
two secret meetings with Kim Il-sung (Memoirs of Nikita Khrushchev) to
relieve its pressure in Western Europe. At the end of 1949, North Korea
decided to resolve the issue of national unification by force and received
Stalin’s consent. Bloody Sunset (残阳如血) analyzed that after the
establishment of the new China, China was allied with the USSR, and
Kim Il-sung believed that it was time to unify Korea with military force.
Accordingly, North Korea crossed the 38th Parallel and invaded South
Korea, and the Korean War broke out. However, the US, the major force
of the Capitalist camp, refused to respond quickly to the war under the
UN Forces, considering it a civil war on the Korean Peninsula. As such,
the scale of the war grew rapidly. Through the analyses of these
documentaries, we can see that the perspectives of the Chinese scholars
regarding the cause of the Korean War became more objective and closer
to the historical truth.
Regarding the cause of the war and which party first launched an attack,
documentaries produced during the war and later in the war differed
greatly. The War to Resist US Aggression and Aid Korea (抗美援朝) Part
1 noted that “On June 25, 1950, Syngman Rhee and his group of thieving
South Koreans declared an all-out-war against the Democratic People’s
Republic of Korea and launched a sudden attack on Pyongyang like a
lightening to topple the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea.”
The 38th Parallel (三八线), a documentary filmed in the 1960s and
1970s, also asserts that the US imperialists invaded and started the war by
crossing the 38th Parallel. However, with the progress of research on the
Korean War, Chinese people in different sectors of society also came to
understand that North Korea first launched the attack, and as a result, later
158
Chinese Documentaries and the Korean War
documentaries no longer mention this issue directly. Instead, they objecobjectively state that the Korean War began on June 25, 1950. A Journey
for Reconciliation within the New China—The Realities of Chinese
Military Expedition to the Korean War (新中国破冰之旅—出兵朝鲜真相)
asserted that “On June 25, 1950, a military confrontation erupted on the
38th Parallel of the Korean Peninsula and turned into a war.” Regarding
the same issue, Confrontation—the Annals of the War to Resist US
Aggression and Aid Korea (较量-抗美援朝战争实录) articulated that “On
June 25, North Korea and South Korea started a large scale civil war
surrounding the issue of national unification.” Military Data—Annals of
the War to Resist US Aggression and Aid Korea simply stated that, “On
June 25, 1950, the Korean civil war finally broke out.” Examination of
these documentaries shows that the Chinese awareness of who first began
the Korean War changed in the documentaries produced in the later
period.
Another interesting fact is that Korea, one of the important agents in
the Korean War, was rarely mentioned in the documentaries made by the
Chinese. The main actor of the war was usually the United Sates, and
even when Korea was mentioned, it was usually referred to as a “puppet”
of the US, or as “thieves.” The Korean people were mentioned even less
in the documentaries. This was possibly due to the objectivity of the
situation at the time, and Chinese documentaries produced in the later
years are not much different in terms of mentioning Korea or Koreans.
Overall, the perception regarding the cause of the Korean War in
Chinese documentaries has been influenced by the conflict between the
two opposing ideological camps. These documentaries made during the
Cold War concluded that the war began with US imperialists deciding to
start the invasive war and the group of thieves led by Syngman Rhee
attacked first. This perception somewhat changed in the documentaries
produced after the end of the Cold War.
Sun Kezhi, Xu Dan
159
The Nature of the Korean War
Regarding the nature of the Korean War, Joseon Frontline News (朝鲜
前线新闻) described that it was a groundless invasion against North Korea
by the “US imperialists and their henchmen countries.” The War to Resist
US Aggression and Aid Korea (抗美援朝) Part 1 also stated that it was “an
invasive war against the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea by US
imperialists using their henchmen. On the 38th Parallel (三八线上), which
was made in the 1960s, also treated the Korean War as an invasive war
that the US started, and asserted that “China, North Korea, and all the
pacifists around the world issued warnings to the invaders.” The War to
Resist US Aggression and Aid Korea (抗美援朝) Part 1 also stated that
China’s War to Resist US Aggression and Aid Korea is “another heroic
work in the history of China besides the War of Liberation.”
A different perspective was formed regarding the nature of the Korean
War in later visual records. For instance, Confrontation: the Annals of the
War to Resist US Aggression and Aid Korea (较量—抗美援朝实录)
narrated that “North and South Korea started a large scale civil war
surrounding the issue of national unification.” The film perceived the war
before the intervention of outside powers as a civil war. In other words, it
was seen as a civil war that the North and South Korean governments
began in order to unify the Korean Peninsula. However, the perception
presented in documentaries regarding the nature of the war after the
Chinese intervention do not differ much from that of the documentaries
produced during the war.
Confrontation: the Annals of the War to Resist US Aggression and Aid
Korea (较量—抗美援朝实录) states:
“In the early 1950s, the Chinese People’s Volunteer Army and the
Korean People’s Army stood shoulder to shoulder and engaged in a
war; and the UN army, headed by the US, and the Korean Army fought
desperately for two years and nine months to gain a victory recognized
160
Chinese Documentaries and the Korean War
by the world. This was a confrontation between blood and fire, a fight
between justice and injustice. Annals of the World’s 100 Years War:
War to Resist US Aggression and Aid Korea (世界百年战争实录—
抗美援朝) also asserted that the “Chinese people’s War to Resist US
Aggression and Aid Korea was a huge international affair that came
after the Second World War. It contributed significantly to the peace of
the Far East and the world.” Analyses of these documentaries reveal
that although the Chinese perception of the nature of the Korean War
changed a bit, their perception of the nature of China’s intervention in
the War to Resist US Aggression and Aid Korea did not change. In
other words, the Chinese justification of the War to Resist US
Aggression and Aid Korea left no room for doubt and was directly
related to the cause of Chinese participation in the Korean War.
Reasons for China’s Participation in the Korean War
After the outbreak of the Korean War, the scale of the war grew rapidly
with the intervention of the UN army headed by the US, and the battle
positions changed as well. The UN army and the Korean army crossed the
38th Parallel and drove into the north, pushing the front to the Yalu River.
Under these circumstances, China dispatched the Chinese People’s
Volunteer Army to the Korean War.
The War to Resist US Aggression and Aid Korea (抗美援朝) Part 1 gave
several reasons for China’s participation in the war. First, “US
imperialists invaded the People’s Republic of China according to plan,
and the US dispatched the seventh fleet from the Pacific Ocean to Taiwan,
obstructing the liberation of Taiwan by the Chinese people and taking part
of China’s territory.” Second, the US and other countries advanced over
the 38th Parallel and “into the Yalu River valley, directly threatening the
eastern part of our territory.” Third, “the invaders fired at our farmlands
on the southern coast of the Yalu River, mobilized the air force attacking
the northeastern region, and bombed the areas around Andong (安东,
former name of Dandong).” Under such circumstances, “since our enemy
Sun Kezhi, Xu Dan
161
aimed the point of their sword at our head, we could not but retaliate.” “If
you want peace, actively stand up to the assault and invasion.” On the 38th
Parallel (三八线上), a documentary made in the 1960s, also considered
the Korean War as a war that the US planned in order to invade China
ultimately and asserted that “US imperialists will not admit to their failure
in China. They do not want to learn from the actions of Hitler or Tojo
Hideki. On the contrary, they are perpetuating Japanese militarism to
conquer North Korea first, and then invade China.”
Regarding justifications for the war, Chinese documentaries produced
in later years show no differences. For instance, Confrontation—the
Annals of the War to Resist US Aggression and Aid Korea (较量-抗美援朝
战争实录) illustrated that after the outbreak of the Korean War, “the US
Navy’s seventh fleet left for the Taiwan Strait to prevent the Chinese
people from liberating Taiwan.” In addition, “US planes brutally
bombarded the farmlands in eastern China, posing a serious threat to the
national safety” of China. As a result, “the US forced the Chinese people
to partake in the war.” In fact, after the establishment of the People’s
Republic of China, the most important task was to build the economy. To
accomplish this, the People’s Revolutionary Military Council passed the
project to restore the People’s Liberation Army in the afternoon of June
24. About ten hours after the decision, the Korean War broke out.
(Confrontation—the Annals of the War to Resist US Aggression and Aid
Korea (较量-抗美援朝战争实录) “On the first day of the war, the US
Navy’s seventh fleet invaded the Taiwan Strait and prevented the Chinese
People’s Liberation Army from liberating Taiwan.” After the UN army,
beginning with the US military, came to participate in the war, the UN
army advanced to the north and descended over the Yalu River between
China and North Korea. “US planes continued to invade Chinese airspace
and destroyed cities and farmlands in the eastern part of China, costing
tremendous number of lives and fortune. China’s security was seriously
threatened.” “The US forced the war on the people of China.” Therefore
“since saving our neighbor is tantamount to saving ourselves, we have to
support the North Koreans to protect our country.” (Military Data—
162
Chinese Documentaries and the Korean War
Annals of the War to Resist US Aggression and Aid Korea (军事资料—抗
美援朝)). Through the perspective of a scholar, Echoes of Half a Century
(半个世纪的回响) pointed out that the Korean War was an “unexpected
war that China was forced to take part in.” China was forced to take part
in the war because the “US fleet invaded the Taiwan Strait, US planes
destroyed the Yalu River bridge, and the US army marched across the
Yalu River, directly threatening China’s security. As a result, China had
no choice but to send troops to the war.”
Although debates were held in academia to discuss the justification for
China’s participation in the Korean War, many scholars believed that
China’s participation was justified, which is a view that coincides with
the perspective in the documentaries.
The Significance of the Korean War
At the time of the production of Confrontation—the Annals of the War
to Resist US Aggression and Aid Korea (较量-抗美援朝战争实录), the
Korean War was not over, so it was difficult to evaluate the overall
significance of the Korean War, but the documentary asserted that the
“War to Resist US Aggression and Aid Korea was a great heroic project
besides the War of Liberation.” Song of the Hero (英雄赞), a featurelength documentary produced in the late 1950s, expressed that the
participation of the Chinese People’s Volunteer Army was to “resist the
US, save North Korea, protect our families and our country, and for the
peace of the Far East.” War of the Republic-War to Resist US Aggression
and Aid Korea (共和国的战争—抗美援朝) also stated that in the Korean
War, “China became the real hero of a war after its 100 long years of
history of humiliation” and “stopped the war that saw no end by
oppressing the other.” “This allowed China to escape from a history of
humiliation to dignity, to the path of national restoration.” It also revealed
that for China which was humiliated in early modern times, this was the
first time that China “abhorred a common enemy with one accord as a
nation and protested against the shame imposed on China by the foreign
Sun Kezhi, Xu Dan
163
powers.” Annals of the World’s 100 Years War—Korean War (世界百年
战争实录—朝鲜战争) discussed the significance of the Korean War from a
broad perspective, and the documentary described that “the Chinese
people’s War to Resist US Aggression and Aid Korea was a huge
international affair since the Second World War; and through victory,
China foiled the attempt of the UN army, headed by the US, to invade the
northern part of the Korean Peninsula and protected the independence of
the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea and the security of the
socialist new China. It also contributed greatly to the peace of the Far
East and the world. The victory of the War to Resist US Aggression and
Aid Korea showed that the legacy of America’s totally victory had finally
ended.
Regardless of whenthe documentaries were produced, their
perspectives on the reasons for China’s participation in the war and the
significance of the Korean War to China generally remain the same. In
fact, the academic view of these two issues also coincides with the
perspectives asserted in the documentaries. Although some scholars did
discuss what might have happened “if China did not participate in the
war,” history cannot be based on hypotheses, and historical affairs need to
take into consideration historical circumstances of the time . For these
reasons, perspectives based on hypotheses cannot bring about an
agreement from the majority.
Conclusion
China is one of the countries that adopted film technologies relatively
quickly in Asia. Films produced in the earlier years are mainly footage or
recording, and film genres gradually diversified with wider distribution of
films and the development of technology. In addition, due to the external
and internal situation that China was faced with, films became a tool that
fostered patriotism in the Chinese people. As a result, many
documentaries on the Chinese people who resisted the Japanese invasion
164
Chinese Documentaries and the Korean War
were produced during the anti-Japanese war. There were also documendocumentaries on anti-Japanese Korean liberation fighters, but as these
were undiscoverable, it is difficult to confirm the contents of these films.
Soon after the establishment of the new China, China intervened in the
Korean War. During the war, and for a considerable time after the war,
documentaries on the Korean War were filmed and produced. These
documentaries depicted the Korean War from various perspectives. Since
the world was divided into two camps under the USSR and the US during
the Cold War creating serious ideological conflict, documentaries that
were created in the beginning of the period were marked with distinct
ideological characteristics in terms of the cause or nature of the war.
The opposing structure of the two camps became more permanent
during the Korean War, taking away the opportunity to improve relations
between Korea and China. Consequently, it is difficult to find
documentaries on Korea before the establishment of diplomatic relations.
Of course, there were TV and newspaper coverage as well as video
images that hinted at the political scene in Korea, yet due to various
reasons, it is difficult to find and see them. From the Korean War until
before the establishment of Korea-China diplomatic relations, most
documentaries on the Korean Peninsula were centered on North Korea or
the North Korea-China relations and displayed strong political views.
The Korean War composed an important part of the history of the new
China after its establishment. After the Chinese economic reform period,
a number of documentaries on the Korean War were produced in China,
based on footage and video images filmed earlier. Documentaries
produced during this time linked newly discovered information based on
the video images with existing information, and therefore they analyzed
and explained issues related to the war in detail. Certain documentaries
reinterpreted issues related to the war based on the existing video images
by adding the analysis of a researcher on the topic, and others included
reenactments and reproductions of the war based on the memories of
survivors. Likewise, documentaries about the Korean War that were
produced after the war can be seen as the result of reflection on or
Sun Kezhi, Xu Dan
165
reinterpretation of the Korean War. Compared to the documentaries made
in the initial phase, these documentaries contained noticeably less
political and ideological colors, and focused more on factors for logical
and critical thinking. As a result, the documentaries made people
reconsider the characteristics of the war, including the cause of the war
and which side actually started the war, and distinctly transformed the
perspectives on these issues.
References
1.
A Journey for Reconciliation within the New China—The Realities
of Chinese Military Expedition to the Korean War. Beijing China
Sports Audiovisual Publishing Center, 2005.
2. Annals of the World’s 100 Years War—Korean War. People’s
Liberation Army Audiovisual Publishing House. Publishing date
unknown.
3. Bloody Sunset—Memories of the Korean War, Phoenix Broad
Vision Television Documentary, aired in 2013.
4. Confrontation: the Annals of the War to Resist US Aggression and
Aid Korea. China Sanhuan Media Publishing, 1999.
5. Chosôn Frontline Newspaper (朝鲜前线新闻). Central Newsreel
and Documentary Film Studio, 1951.
6. Echoes of Half a Century. The Audio & Video Publishing House
of the Central Newsreel & Documentary Film Studio, 2000.
7. Korean Volunteers Army correspondence, week 3. Feb 5, 1939.
8. People’s Daily
9. Song of the Hero. Central Newsreel and Documentary Film Studio,
1958.
10. War to Resist US Aggression and Aid Korea Part 1. Central
Newsreel and Documentary Film Studio, 1952.
11. War to Resist US Aggression and Aid Korea Part 2. Central
Newsreel and Documentary Film Studio, 1953.
166
Chinese Documentaries and the Korean War
12. War of the Republic. Guizhou Culture Audio Video Publishing
House, 2005.
13. Dan, Wanli. History of Chinese documentary films. Beijing: China
Film Publishing, 2005.
14. Gao, Weijin. A history of Chinese news and documentary films.
Beijing: Central Party Literature Press, 2003.
15. Fang, Fang. A history of the development of the Chinese
documentary. Beijing: China Drama Press, 2003
16. Wang, Guangxi and Zhou, Guanwu. Dictionary of modern Chinese
literature and arts. Zhengzhou: Zhongzhou Ancient Books
Publishing House, 1998.
23
Submission Date: 2014. 7. 12
Accepted: 2014. 8. 29.
Completion Date of Review: 2014. 8. 2.
167
Sun Kezhi, Xu Dan
<Abstract>
Chinese Documentaries and the Korean War
Sun Kezhi, Xu Dan
The Korean War composed an important part of the history of the new China
after its establishment. After the opening and the reform phase, a number of
documentaries on the Korean War were produced in China, based on footages and
video images filmed earlier. Documentaries produced during this time linked
newly discovered information based on the video images with the existing
information, and therefore they analyzed and explained issues related to the war in
detail. Certain documentaries reinterpreted issues related to the war based on the
existing video images by adding the analysis of a researcher on the topic, and
others included reenactments and reproductions of the war based on the memories
of survivors. Likewise, documentaries about the Korean War that have been
produced after the war can be seen as results of the reflection on or
reinterpretation of the Korean War. Compared to the documentaries made in the
initial phase, these documentaries contained noticeably less political and
ideological colors, and focused more on factors for logical and critical thinking.
As a result, the documentaries made people reconsider the nature of the war,
including the cause of the war and which side actually started the war, and
distinctly transformed the perspectives on these issues.
Keywords: China, Film Documentary, Resistance to US Aggression and Aid
Korea , Korean Peninsula, Korean War
168
Chinese Documentaries and the Korean War
<국문초록>
중국 다큐멘터리와 한국전쟁
쑨커즈(푸단대학 역사학과 교수), 쉬단(푸단대학 역사학과 박사과정)
신 중국 수립 이후 중국역사에서 한국전쟁이 매우 중요한 부분을 차지하고 있기 때
문에 개혁개방 이후, 중국에서는 초창기의 영상자료를 토대로 상당히 많은 편수의 한
국전쟁 관련 다큐멘터리가 제작되었다. 이 시기에 제작된 다큐멘터리는 초창기 영상
자료를 바탕으로 새롭게 밝혀진 기록과 자연스럽게 연결되어 보다 더 상세하게 전쟁
관련문제를 분석하고 설명하였다. 어떤 다큐멘터리의 경우, 기존의 영상자료를 토대
로 관련 연구자의 분석을 덧붙여 연관된 문제를 새롭게 재해석하였으며 또, 전쟁을
직접 겪은 사람의 기억을 바탕으로 당시 전쟁모습을 재현한 다큐멘터리도 있다. 이와
같이 훗날 다시 제작된 한국전쟁 관련 다큐멘터리는 사실상 한국전쟁에 대한 반성 또
는 재해석의 결과라고 할 수 있다. 초기 다큐멘터리와 비교해 볼 때 정치와 이데올로
기의 색채가 현저히 줄어들었으며 대신 이성적 사고요소가 확연히 많아져 전쟁 발발
의 원인이나 어느 쪽이 선제 공격을 하였는지, 전쟁성격 등의 문제에 대해 다시금 생
각하게 했으며 더 나아가 이들 문제를 바라보는 시각에도 뚜렷한 변화가 생겼다.
주제어: 중국, 영상기록물, 항미원조, 한반도 한국전쟁